In a sector where competitors are flat, one company grows double digits. In an economy with little growth, one posts record EBITDA. In an industry with razor margins, one stands apart. Luck explains none of it. In working with the leaders of those companies, one trait shows up every time: focus.
A focused company is led by someone who is laser focused on the critical few challenges that decide whether it becomes the industry favourite. Because the leader is, the teams are. Each project has a purpose people can repeat.
What it looks like
Years ago I met an entrepreneur running a mid-sized business with good products at fair prices. A successful mid-level company was unacceptable to him. The goal was the best in the industry by share and by profitability, and he understood he could not win it alone or by renegade action. He had to lead.
The company grew into one of the largest and most respected in its sector, and the one people want to work for. It opened production around the world, sales offices in every relevant market, and made consistent decisions on acquisitions and partners. What it did not do was stray from its world-class strengths. You could identify the company by what it refused to offer as much as by what it sold.
Why most companies cannot do this
Not for lack of talent. For lack of a page that forces the choice. When the strategy lives in a deck, every function adds a priority and nothing is removed. When it lives on one page with three product-markets, five Strategic Numbers and a named owner for each, there is no room for the fourth priority. That is the discipline the MOVE® system installs.
Monday
Count the strategic initiatives currently running in your company. If the number is above seven, you do not have a strategy; you have a list. Pick the three that carry the earnings commitment and decide what happens to the rest.
